Small Change by Anna McGrath

The Angelus Student Film Festival showcased four of its 2008 honored films at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, at the Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

Daniel McInerny, Associate Director of the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture, extended the invitation to Angelus for the third consecutive year.

The Angelus Student Film Festival cultivates and honors future filmmakers as they explore and create works that respect the dignity of the human person.

Angelus Award winning films reflect values such as redemption, spirituality, dignity, tolerance, equality, diversity, hope and triumph of the human spirit.

Monika Moreno, Angelus fest director, introduced the films and moderated a Q&A session with the attending filmmakers following screenings of the following films:

– In The Name Of The Son (2008 Audience Impact Award) by Harun Mehmedinovic, American Film Institute, Los Angeles; 
After escaping execution, a Bosnian prisoner of war immigrates to the United States looking to leave his past behind. Years later, the man who spared his life shows up on his doorstep asking for a favor.

– Small Change (2008 Triumph of the Spirit Award) by Anna McGrath, Victorian College of the Arts, Australia, who was unable to attend;
A man struggles without his wife, a young girl loses her tooth and a boy reacts the only way he knows how.

– Deface (2008 Production Excellence Award) by John Arlotto, Art Center College of Design;
When a North Korea man is pushed to the edge by his daughter’s senseless death, he risks his life to challenge the oppressive government, making his voice heard through an extreme and unusual action.

– Old Days (2008 Finalist, Live Action) by Matthew Shapiro, New York University.
A coming of age story about a 74-year old woman who reluctantly enters a retirement community and struggles to find her niche within the eccentric residents’ social hierarchy, just like the new girl in school.

The event was co-sponsored by the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture.